An Envious Plan
by Indyanna
Summary: Scheming James creates a plan to make Lily jealous and win her heart. Unfortunately the plan drags poor, innocent Alice into the mix. Canon couples in the end.


_A/N: As with all of my other posts lately this is another response to a challenge, the Strange Pairings Challenge by __**Camilla Monnet **__on the HPFC. My pairing is Alice/James and my prompts are Ice and Hazel. Thank you to __**Slytherin Head **__for doing a wonderful job as my beta._

_This is an A/U story, slightly, due to the timeline._

_Disclaimer: Nothing you recognise is mine. _

* * *

"Hey, Alice," James calls after me as Alice as she leaves the Great Hall.

Alice turns around just in time to step aside to avoid James running into her.

"Alice, could we talk for a bit?" James asks, looking to her left he sees Jane. "In private if that's okay?"

"Sure," Alice replies uncertainly.

Jane sits back down at the table, next to Frank, while Alice and James walk out of the hall.

"Well?" She asks as soon as they are out of the Great Hall.

"Not here," James replies, taking her elbow and leading her to the nearest deserted classroom.

"Okay, what is it?" Alice responds leaning on a desk.

James begins pacing, dragging one hand through his hair.

"I know this is kind of an odd request, but do you want to go to the dance together? Just as friends-"

"Aren't you drooling over Lily?"

"I'm not drooling over her!" James replied angrily, calming down instantly when he noticed Alice was about to leave. "Wait, Alice! I _do _fancy her but I figured if I give her some competition it might give her the little push she needs."

Alice scoffs at this, trying and failing to disguise it as a sneeze.

"Right, well, as good of a plan as this is I don't want to take any part in it."

"Alice, look," he says, grabbing her arm. "I know it's a crazy plan and there will be some sort of girl code that means you _shouldn't_ do this but it'll just be as friends-"

Snorting, Alice says, "We aren't-"

"And," James continued. "I think it'd be beneficial to you too."

"How?" She questioned, her eyes narrowing.

"Look, I'm not trying to be mean or anything but I've seen you shoot glances at Frank and I know flirting when I see it-"

"Hey! I do not-"

"Yes, you do. Guys get jealous when the girl they like likes someone else, it could give Frank a little push too..."

Alice sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose. "James, you've probably forgotten this in the creation of your plan but I'm also a year older than you."

"And?"

"And it'd be weird, as well as a little embarrassing, for me to go out with a fifth year."

"Alice, almost _all_ of your year has done more than just _go out_ with Sirius and he's still deciding between two seventh years, a sixth year and a fifth year as to who to take as his date. So, seriously, I don't care about that."

"It's still a week till the dance, I could get another date."

"You only want Frank and I'm pretty sure he's going stag."

"I don't know if us going to the dance together would even make Lily jealous."

"I know it's pretty obvious I like her, but according to some reliable sources she's reluctant because she thinks I see her as some prize – which I don't. I've tried asking her on dates to disprove that but she keeps turning me down," James replies scuffing the floor with his shoe.

"James, I-"

"Alice, I wouldn't ask if I didn't think it would work. Showing Lily I can be a nice guy to date and even chivalrous will probably sway her."

"There isn't anybody else in your year?"

"No. I actually get along with you and know you have zero chance of falling for me. Come on, we're family friends!"

Alice still looked reluctant so James resorted to his last plan he got to his knees and clasped his hands in front of his face.

"Please Alice? I really need this one favour and I'll owe you big time! I'll buy you flowers, act like I'm really courting you, anything," he pleaded.

"Oh**, **James, get up. I'll do it but I get three things in return. One, there will be absolutely _no_ fooling around or stupid nicknames. Two, our parents aren't to know about this and three, I get to decide that at a later date. I'm not quite sure what I want out of this yet. Agreed?"

"Yes! Thank you so much, Alice!" He said whilst enveloping Alice in an enthusiastic hug.

"I'm sure I'll regret it at some stage," Alice murmurs.

"Don't think like that, Alice, I'm perfectly capable of being a gentleman," James said.

As if to prove his point he opens the door for Alice and offers her his elbow. She takes it hesitantly and he escorts her to Herbology, across the frozen Hogwarts grounds. The couple are faced with many raised eyebrows, some giggles accompanied by whispering behind an obvious hand and even a few wolf-whistles. Alice feels heat creeping up her neck and onto her cheeks.

"James," she hisses quietly.

"Alice, just relax. We've got to put on a show," he replies equally quiet, putting his hand against her lower back and rubbing his thumb in small circles.

Alice stiffens a bit at this. "A show?" She asks nervously.

"Yes, but don't worry, I won't be putting my tongue in your mouth if that is what you're worried about," he responds while smiling reassuringly. "Not yet anyway."

"James!"

"I'm kidding, honestly, Alice just lighten up. I wouldn't do that unless it was necessary or you instigated it."

"Promise?"

"Promise, I assumed it fell under 'fooling around' anyway."

Alice snorted at this and noticed that they had finally reached her greenhouse.

"Is this your class?" James asks, nodding his head towards it.

Alice nods in response. He smiles back at her and finally take his hand off of her back only to take her left with it. He places a soft kiss on her knuckles whilst maintaining eye-contact. _This is going to be the longest week of my life, _Alice thought to herself.

* * *

"Alice, wait up," someone called.

Relieved that it wasn't James, Alice turned around to find Lily walking up to her. She shot James a look as she walked out of the Great Hall, he grinned a little and did a thumbs up sign whilst indicating to Frank.

"Hi**,** Lily," she said politely.

"Can we talk for a minute?"

"Sure thing, in private or...?"

"Private, please."

Alice walked a few steps ahead of her, leading her to the classroom James had dragged her into last week.

"So...?" Alice said breaking the silence.

"Right. Um, I know this will be a little weird and that it goes against the unspoken girl code but, are you and James, _serious_?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like are you a serious couple? As in not just a date to the dance but an actual couple."

"No. We're just... going to the ball together."

"Not dating?"

"More courting than anything, our parents would love it so we're seeing how it would go if we... did as they _suggest_," Alice lied.

"So you aren't together because you really want to be...?"

"Lily, I have class in 15 minutes and it's Defence so if you have a question, please, just ask it."

"I just, I've seen how James has been with you and how nice he can be. I wanted to make sure that if I, uh, made any _advances_ on him after the dance that it would be okay..?" Lily asked, letting her hair block part of her face.

"Lily, I think you know how James feels and I love my parents but we were only seeing if it could work."

Lily kept looking at Alice, waiting for an answer.

"No, Lily. I would not mind at all if you made any advances on James after the dance."

"Oh, Alice," Lily says brightly, hugging Alice."You are amazing."

"I try," Alice say hugging her back, "I head you had a date to the ball though..?"

"What? Eddie Griffin, right?" Alice nods. "Merlin**,** no! That is a rumour! I'm going with Remus, as friends, he needed to get that Katie girl off his back so I agreed to help him out."

"That's nice of you."

"I guess."

Alice glances down at her watch. "Damn, I'm going to be late. We'll talk more later."

* * *

Alice rushed into Defence class, with barely a minute to spare.

"Nice timing, Miss Kensington," Professor Nickel said when she entered, flashing her a smile.

Noting that there was only one seat free Alice hurried to it. It wasn't until she sat down that she noticed it was next to Frank.

"Now, today we're going to cover the theory on..." Professor Nickel started off with.

"Psst," Frank hissed at Alice.

She turned her head away from Professor Nickel to face Frank with a raised eyebrow, "What?"

"Are you really going to the ball with James?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"What?"

Frank paused their whispered conversation to make sure there were no eavesdroppers.

"Why are you going to the ball with James?"

"Because he, wait, why do you care?"

"I don't."

"Then why ask?"

"Because he wouldn't tell me. He just said something vague about parents and courting."

"So?"

"I just want to know**,** Alice. Why won't you tell me?"

"Because you won't tell me _why_ you want to know."

Frank sat back in his seat at that and set his eyes back on Professor Nickel. For the rest of the class the tension could have been cut with a knife, the two were doing their best to ignore one another. They had the shortest possible discussion when Professor Nickel instructed the students to turn to their partner and discuss benefits of learning non-verbal spells. At the end of the lesson Alice intended to wait for Jane but she was told to go ahead as Jane needed to discuss something with their Professor. Alice walked out of the classroom and felt a hand on her elbow.

Expecting to see James**,** Alice turned around with a smile, upon seeing Frank this turned into a frown and she hurried off.

"Alice, wait!"

"What do you want?" She replied whilst still walking.

Frank grabbed on to her elbow again and dragged her into a deserted classroom.

"Well?" Alice asked breaking the silence.

"Why are you going with James?"

"That is none of your business."

"It is my business."

"How in Merlin's name is it your business?" Alice replied scowling.

"Because I, it's... It just _is__**, **_okay?"

"No, it's not okay. So**,** if you'll kindly allow me to leave."

"Fine but, just please, promise me one thing?"

"Fine, what is it?"

"Save me a dance tomorrow night."

"Wh- I, you're crazy but fine, one dance tomorrow is all yours."

Frank held the door open for Alice and allowed her to leave. She walked quickly, heading for her common room when she ran into James and his friends.

"Hi boys," she said looking at each of them in turn.

"Hi Alice," the three said in union whilst James gave her a raised eyebrow.

"Any chance I could talk to James alone for a moment?"

"Sure, anything for a lady," Sirius said with a grin.

"Er, thanks," she muttered as they walked away.

"Sorry about Sirius, you know how he is though."

"It's fine, I actually wanted to congratulate you."

James' eyes widened, he looked around noting there were many prying eyes around. He took her elbow and for the third time that day Alice found herself in a deserted classroom.

"Congratulate me?"

"Yeah, Lily dragged me into a deserted classroom today and asked if I minded any advances she made on you."

"What'd you say?"

"I told her that bogus parent story we made up and then said I didn't mind in the least."

"That's great, thank you so much Alice."

"It's okay, you just need to be extra charming and gentlemanly."

"I'm always-"

"You have been this past week but that is the James she wants. All though I think she wouldn't mind you being cheeky on occasion, she wants to be treated nicely, okay?"

"Sure, I think I could do that for her," he says grinning. "Oh, I almost forgot, Frank asked why we were going together today."

"So that's why you two were sitting together at lunch. He asked me in Defence just before too, and afterwards."

"What'd you tell him?"

"Nothing, I said it wasn't any of his business but before he let me leave the classroom he dragged me into he did ask for me to save him a dance."

"You what?"

"I promised him a dance."

"That's brilliant Alice!"

"What?"

"He hasn't asked anyone to the dance, he's been asking why we're going together and he made you save him a dance. He _has_ to like you."

"He, wait, really?" Alice says smiling.

"Yeah, there's no other explanation."

"Oh, that's, yeah I guess it makes sense."

"It's a good thing and when you go off to dance with Frank I'll politely ask to cut in with Lily and show her how gentlemanly I can be."

"I can't believe it."

"Believe what?"

"That your plan actually worked."

"Did you ever have any doubts?"

"Yes, frequently and a lot of them," Alice says starting to laugh.

* * *

_I think it's _okay_ where I left it as I'm not entirely sure if I should continue onto the ball. Tell me what you think? Thanks for reading._


End file.
